1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of locating and controlling perforated tiles for air conditioning in an equipment room such as a data center. More specifically, a Voronoi diagram, where the sites used for constructing the Voronoi diagram consist of line segments representing the locations of the air intake portions of equipment, is computed for a room to be provisioned for air conditioning. Sections of the Voronoi diagram are then sequentially eliminated and select remaining edges shifted with the resultant edges determining the best locations of perforated tiles for venting of the air conditioning. These remaining edges can also serve as a basis in a control mechanism to control the perforations if the degree of opening of the perforated tiles is controllable.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention solves two fundamental problems in the design and management of a data center: (1) precisely where to locate perforated tiles to most cost effectively deliver/vent air conditioning to IT (Information Technology) equipment with air intake requirements, and (2) given a distribution of perforated tiles whose aperture can be programmatically controlled, how to optimally deliver air conditioning in response to the needs of IT equipment so that the equipment continuously operates within its safe temperature range.
Today, perforated tile are typically located in the center of each cold aisle of the data center, and delivery of air conditioning to IT equipment in need is done in a completely ad hoc fashion. Moreover, tiles whose aperture can be programmatically controlled are just beginning to make their way into the market place.
Therefore, a need continues to exist for improving the design of the locations of perforated tiles that deliver cooling air to environments housing devices that require cooling during operation. In addition, it would be useful to have a mechanism that can be computerized and that can also serve as the basis for controlling the perforations if the perforated tiles are controllable.